Many stroke survivors worry about if and when they can fly after a stroke. Medical research shows a person can fly after a stroke, but they should consider the type of stroke they had, how long it’s been since the stroke and whether they want medical travel assistance during the flight.
If you plan to travel after having a stroke, it’s comforting to know that research has found having a history of a stroke does not put a person in danger during an airline flight. Having a past stroke does not mean a person should not fly.
But if a stroke has been more recent or a person simply has concerns about flying, they should consider several factors before booking their trip.
Strokes vary in type and severity. Stroke victims should consider their own unique circumstances. Experts do not have hard and fast rules that apply to everyone who has had a stroke. But the following factors can help you decide about flying.
Type of Stroke
The advice on when to fly could depend on the stroke. A full stroke involves the sudden loss of blood flow to the brain. However, many people experience a transient ischemic attack (TIA), which is known as a “mini-stroke” that resolves without permanent brain damage.
A TIA is like a stroke and considered a warning sign of stroke risk. Also, some medical disorders that lead to a TIA could pose a “very small risk” on flights, according to research compiled by Very Well Health. Those conditions include patent foramen ovale, paradoxical embolism or hypercoagulability. It’s important to know if you have those conditions.
Experts may vary on when they recommend you can fly. The Stroke Association recommends that it is “probably best to avoid flying for the first two weeks. This is the time when your problems are likely to be most severe and other conditions related to your stroke may come up.”
In the most severe stroke cases, patients may want to wait as long as three months. However, with a TIA, many people are safe to fly in 10 days.
Before booking a flight, people should consult with their doctor.
Some people who have had a stroke may prefer to hire medical professionals to fly with them. Doing so provides them a high degree of security in making the flight and ensures they get proper medical care if needed. Such help is found with non-emergency transport (NEMT) companies like Flying Angels.
Flying Angels provides a number of services that can support stroke victims when they fly. A Flight Coordinator books your flight, sets up all the arrangements with both airports and airlines, gets you through security and provides a flight nurse to help you throughout your journey. The company hires only nurses with a great deal of experience working in emergency rooms and who have training in providing medical care at high altitudes.
Stroke survivors may face challenges, but they still can live a full life. As with any serious condition, those who have had a stroke need to practice patience and planning. Travel by flight is certainly doable if they have the right amount of support. Consulting with a doctor and a medical transport service can give people the answers they seek about flying after a stroke. They also can provide the comfort, care and support they need to make the journey.
Join Flying Angels in their tribute to the American Case Management (ACMA) Conference. After attending ACMA Conferences for the past three years, Flying Angels would have reached their 50th, but sadly it will have to wait… But We’ll Meet Again!
Hospital discharge transportation involves the methods used to transport a patient from the hospital to their home, a rehabilitation center, nursing home or other care facility. How hospitals and patients handle hospital discharge transportation is a key element to the success of overall medical treatment.
It’s an issue that all healthcare providers address. Hospital discharge transportation is seen as part of a comprehensive approach to patient care. That applies whether the patient needs medical transportation home or to another facility.
In some cases, transportation may involve having to fly commercial after surgery. This happens when patients are injured while on business travel or vacation. It also is necessary for those who must fly to get care from a specialist surgeon.
Medical professionals put a great deal of focus on discharge planning process because transportation from a care facility is a time when people are vulnerable. Every detail of hospital discharge transportation focuses on patient safety, including medical transportation home.
Also, effective discharge lowers the chance of a patient returning to the hospital because patients and their families are prepared for the transition. That’s why addressing the patient’s traveling requirements is critical.
In situations where flying is involved, hiring a non-emergency medical transport service is often the right move. They provide service that includes making all travel arrangements, including ground transportation, navigating the airport and flight reservations.
They also provide a flight nurse who is certified in aviation physiology and can handle any medical situations that may arise while in the air.
When working on discharge planning, medical staff find the best way to provide a smooth transition from one facility to another, or to the patient’s home. Only doctors can authorize discharge from a hospital. However, social workers, case managers or nurses often oversee discharge planning.
According to the National Center on Caregiving (NCC), discharge planning revolves around the following issues.
Evaluation. Qualified personnel evaluate the patient’s condition.
Discussion. A patient or her representative discuss discharge with qualified personnel
Planning. Plan revolves around either going home or to another institution.
Determining. Qualified personnel determine whether the patient’s caregiver needs training or other support
Referrals. The medical facility refers the patient to the appropriate support service, such as a home health agency
Follow up. Discharge planning also involves making arrangements for follow-up appointments or tests for the patient.
Many medical facilities continue to work in this critical area, so it’s important for patients to know their options and the challenges involved with discharge. For example, research reported by the NCC indicates about 40% of patients over the age of 65 had medication errors upon release from the hospital. Also, about 18% of Medicare patients discharged from hospitals are readmitted within 30 days. Those numbers underscore the importance of hospital discharge transportation. For patients who know they have an upcoming hospital stay, all options – including non-emergency medical transportation – should be investigated.
On May 7th Flying Angels had the honor of accompanying Sandi Greenawalt RN CCM, Director of Case Management, Jackson Hospital, Montgomery, AL home to Sewickley. You would not believe the sendoff the hospital gave sandy.
Flying Angels Accompanying Sandi Greenawalt on Here Journey Home After Battling Covid-19
After undergoing surgery, some find they must take a flight not long after. For those who want to fly commercial after surgery, it is important to ensure enough time has passed and that you have regained some mobility, taken steps to prevent blood clots and practice good hygiene throughout the trip.
In many cases, you may simply have to wait. Doctors will insist that patients do not fly for a set amount of time after surgery. And there is nothing you will read here or anywhere else that supersedes the advice given to you directly by your doctor. It is important that you consult with your doctor about how to fly commercial before and after surgery.
That said, there are some tips to keep in mind that can make flying commercial after surgery safer and easier.
Make sure enough time has passed since your surgery. Different procedures have different time windows before it is safe to fly and having someone who is knowledgeable & trained in aviation physiology is critical. Make sure you stay within whatever time parameters they set.
A general guide to how long you should wait after surgery before flying includes the following time frames.
Simple cataract or corneal laser surgery – one day
A Colonoscopy – one day
Simple abdominal surgery – four to five days
Complicated eye surgery – a week
Chest surgery or a coronary artery bypass graft – 10 days
You want to fly commercial after surgery when you have reached a point where you are relatively mobile. That is important because movement can prevent the formation of blood clots. When someone is immobile during a long flight, it prevents the contraction of muscles in the legs that allows blood to circulate back to the heart. When you cannot move, blood pools in the legs and the risk of clotting increases.
Take Aspirin
This is something to do only if told so by your doctor. Taking aspirin can help prevent the formation of blood clots during a flight. It is possible the doctor may prescribe a more powerful anticoagulant, but those should be taken only under a doctor’s orders.
Avoid Turbulence, Nausea
Although it is certainly no guarantee, morning flights tend to have smoother air to fly through than flights later in the day. So, if you can, book an early flight to reduce the odds of nausea-inducing turbulence that you might feel more susceptible to post-operation. Also, a seat on the plane over or near the wing can be smoother – you give up a view for less turbulence.
A lot of people have wondered if flying commercial will ever be the same after the coronavirus. The ideas that everyone has adopted during the COVID-19 epidemic – washing hands, using hand sanitizers on the plane, taking on disinfectant wipes to clear often-touched places in the seat area – are good habits for those who choose to fly commercial after surgery. Post-surgery fliers may be more susceptible to infections, so it is important to practice these good habits.
Keep these tips in mind but remember that your doctor is the final authority on when you can fly commercial before and after surgery. The last thing you want to do is become ill again or risk an infection so soon after getting a surgery to correct a health issue.
Given time, people will return to flying commercial, although travelers should expect to follow new rules that will keep them safe while flying. As experts learn more about COVID 19, they continue to develop ways to travel after coronavirus, including following CDC guidelines and maintaining smart practices while in the airport and on the plane.
Medical air travel is essential but can cause families to second guess their need to schedule non-emergency medical transportation during national emergencies. If you or a loved one have preexisting conditions and family doesn’t live close, it’s a good idea to discuss medical air travel with Flying Angels. Understanding your air ambulance alternatives can save you time and money during an already hectic time.
It’s likely that travel after coronavirus will change, but those changes are for the good. Expect official agencies to release guidelines for flying commercial as more people resume air travel in the coming months.
Before Your Flight and At the Airport
Until official guidance comes from government agencies, you can expect some of the following recommendations to help you avoid the spread of infectious viruses, including coronavirus and the flu.
Bring hand sanitizer. Have a bottle of hand sanitizer and use it after you touch anything during the duration of your trip. That includes before you get to the airport, such as touching surfaces in an Uber ride.
Check in for flight online. Use your smartphone to check into your flight. This way, you do not have to touch the screen at the airport that prints out your boarding pass. If you do use the machine, use hand sanitizer immediately afterward.
Eat before you go. There are likely to be restrictions, at least for a while, on how many people can eat in restaurants (at airports or anywhere else). Best to eat before you leave and have one less thing to worry about.
Wash your hands. It’s not a bad idea to stop often and wash your hands. As experts have frequently noted, if it feels like “overkill,” you are probably doing about the right amount of prevention.
Keep your distance. As you move through the airport, try to maintain plenty of distance and not crowd other passengers.
For those flying commercial on domestic flights, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers helpful guidelines to follow that apply to being in any public place. Many of them are common sense tips that people around the world have followed to slow spread of the disease. They include:
Clean your hands with warm water and soap, or hand sanitizer that has at least 60% alcohol. This is especially important after you have been in a public place such as a plane. Always avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others. This may not always be necessary, but expect to wear a mask for flights (and other public places) at least in the near-term. It protects yourself and others from spreading the coronavirus.
Wipe down your seat arms and any other areas you expect to touch during the flight as soon as you sit down.
Cover any coughs and sneezes – do them into your elbow if you can. Use hand sanitizer immediately afterward.
Keep in mind that airlines also will continue with safety measures they adopted earlier this year, including wiping down all surfaces touched by passengers with disinfectant after each flight. Also, they continue to perform routine deep cleanings. There is a possibility that they will institute health checks, as well, such as taking the temperature of travelers before they enter a plane.
If you are traveling internationally, make sure to check to see if there are any travel advisories from the federal government. Putting these tips into practice can make flying commercial safe – although expect official recommendations to come out for travel after coronavirus once government leaders again open the country and more people return to flying on a regular basis.
